Shearing machine



@@f 247 W33 A. J. HERMANSDORVFER LM@ SHEARING MACHINE Original Filed March 5l, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 24, 1933. A. J. HERMANsDoRx-ER SHEARING MACHINE Original Filed March 3l, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 24, 1933. A. J. HERMANSDORFER SHEARING MACHINE 3 Shets-Sheet 5 Original Filed March 3l, 1927 Cil 'projections against which the December l' 1910.

Patented @eto 2,4, 1933 rarest cerise signer, by mesne assignments, to Republic Steel Corporation, Youngstown, (hic, a corporation of New Jersey Application March 31, 192i, Serial No. 179,957 Renewed June'ZS, i933 Claims.

invention relates to certain improvements in machines for cutting a strip or bar of inetal having recurrent transverse or projections into sections or lengths, and is particularly adapted for shearing such strips into tie-plates on the vprojections form cross-shoulders against which the bases of the vrailroad rails ahnt when the plates are in track.

Tie-plates are rolled from iron or steel blooms or billets in long strips or Tears which are then sheared into a plurality of separate plates, and when cross-shouldered plates are sheared from a strip having recurrent transverse projections which forni t c shoulders the successive cuts to produceplates of approximately thesarne length are made at unit distance from the races of the l'ahuts when the plates are in trac-lr. Prior to f invention machines for cutting these rolled strips s into cross-shouldered plates were provided With a stop Whichwas located in. a predetermined position on the machine adjacent the shear and constructed to yieldingly bear upon the shouldered side of the strip as the latter was moved stephy-step under it toward the shear and to be raised by a passing shoulder and then drop behind the vertical face of the shoulder so that when the direction or" movement of the strip was slightly' reverse the shoulder whichl had last passed under vthe stop would abut against it to position the strip in proper relation to the shear. Einhcdixnents of this cid type ofrnachine are shown in patents to lyc'ee No. dated August i967, land to vKnaus No. 978,'98, dated However, in these prior inachines the shouldered strip or har must he moved far enough forward after each cut yto permit .the shoulder to beyond the stop so that the latter can dropdown behind. it, and then strip must he revers-ely moved to abut the vertical v face of the shoulder against the stop', as described the aforesaid patents, and at `least the.

reverse movement or the strip is done by hand hy men of the shear-crew. This forward and reverse `method of positioning the strip l tsthe to shearin T the strips after the latter ,character (Cl. 16s-m48) to enable a shoulder to pass the stop projects the free end of the strip lbeyond its proper line andt is necessary tovmanually retract the strip to proper position before making a out, this requires stopping the shear and skipping one or more shea-r strokes when the strip is not `properly positioned in time for the regular stroke of the shear;l and in using vthese prior machines the preliminary cooling or the stripsV tov enable the shear-crew to handle them and position them on the shearing-machine requires extra equipment and additional handling of the strips.

My present invention lprovides a machine of this general character which enables the lstrips toghe sheare'd While either cold or hot, `and is comparatively simple and inexpensive to operate and eiiicient in use and of increased capacity or output than those which have heen heretofore used. The main feature or" vrny invention is an organization whereby a strip vor bar of the above described is automatically moved stcp-hy-step through the machine and p0- sitioned the end of its intermittent forward movements with its recurrent cross-projections in uniform relation with respect to the shear. Another feature is the provision of means where- `oy the position of the cross-projections is adjust- Yacle relative to the shear in order to cut diierent strips` having diilerently spaced projections into sections of dferent lengths to aord aV Wide rangeof sizes of tie-plates. Y

To these ends the invention consists in the novel organizations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings showing a practical einhodiment of my invention, Fig. 1 is a front elevation or" inachinefcertain parts being in section and others broken away or omitted for clearness of illustration; Fig. 2 is a similar View oi a portion of the machine with certain parts in different positions Fig. 3 is a front end eleyation; Fig. e is a rear end elevation of a portion of the macl'xine;` Fig. `5 is a detail plan View with parts in section; Fig. 6 is a detail plan View `of the strip-table; Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged detail side viewsoi the rear guide and front guide respectively for the strip-feeding carriage, and Figs. 9 and 1Q are enlarged detail front and sectional views respectively of means to adjust the travel Vof the strip-feeding carriage.

In the practice of my invention, the upper shear knife 1 is mounted on a reciprocating slide 2 which Vis supported and 'guided on the machine head V3 and, operated by an eccentric on a rotating shaft 4, and the stationary knife is mounted on a die-block 6 on the machine base; these parts are organized and operated in any suitable manner customary in this type of machine. A table or bed 7 to support and guide the metal bar or strip 8 is mounted on the base flush with the knife 5 and in line withl a mill-conveyer (not shown) which presents the strip or bar to the machine. The table 7 is provided with opposite side guides e which form a guideway for the strips; the receiving ends of the guides are beveled outwardly 'to form a flaring mouth for the leading ends of the strips, and one or both of the guides may be laterally adjustable by suitable means, such for example as the headed bolts 10 threaded into the table and passing through elongated slots 11 in the guides, to vary the width of the guideway for strips of different widths. One face of the strip 8 is rolled with recurrent cross ribs or shoulders which are located near the leading ends of the sections or lengths into which the strip is to be cut to form tie-plates, and the vertical walls of the shoulders against which the rails abut when the plates are in track face away from the lniives as the strip is presented to the machine.

A pair of longitudinal stationary guides, desigm nated generally by the numerals 12 and 13, is oppositely mounted at the sides of the machine; in the form shown each guide consists of a pair of bars 1li and 15 of suitable length which are bolted together near their ends in spaced relation to provide elongated guideways 16. The front guide 12 supported by an elongated bracket 17'depending from the head 3 and fastened to its upper bar 15, and the rear guide 13 is supported by an elongated bracket 18 extending upwardly from the block 5 and fastened to its lower bar 15. rEhese guides extend from adjacent the knives toward the feeding-in or front end of the machine a distance equal to the length of a plurality of the sections or plates of the strip 8, and the guidewa'ys 16 are in a horizontal plane above the path of travel of the strip. The ends of the guide bars are connected by cross-pieces 19, 'the outer one of which is adjustable lengthwise of the guides, as by headed bolts 20 passing throughV elongated slots 21 in the bars. A strip-feeding carriage 22 reciprocates in the guides; in the form shown the carriage is a rectangular skeleton frame composed of inner and outer crosspieces 23 and 24 and connecting side-pieces 25 whose edges are reduced to form runners to travel in the guideways 16. A cross-rod 26 is mounted in the side-pieces adjacent the cross-piece 24, and one end of the .strip-pusher 27 is carried by this rod. The pusher consists of a metal plate,l

preferably divided at :its free end, which extends forwardly and downwardly underneath the inner cross-piece 23 and rests upon the strip 8 when the latter is in position in the machine. The pusher may have plvotal motion on or with its rod 26 and so rest by gravity on the strip, or it may be rigidly mounted and so act as a spring arm; in either case it yieldingly rests on the strip, and the cross-piece 23 acts as a stop to limit its upward movement and prevent its being thrown up out of operative relation to the strip. The side-pieces carry opposite wrist-pins 23 on which the inner ends of opposite siderods 29 are pivotally mounted; these rods preferably are formed in sections connected by adjusting turnbuokles 30 to compensate for or take up any wear on the pusher and to vary the length of its throw or stroke, and are connected at their outer ends to the lower end of a rocken-frame comprising an opposite pair of rocker-arrns 31 keyed on the ends of a short cross-shaft 32 journaled in a bearing 33 on a bracket 34 on the head 3. One of the arms 31 extends upwardly and is pi'votally connected by an adjustable link 35 to a crankpin 36 carried on a disk 37 xed on the shaft 4 which operates the knife-,slide 2.

A strip-gauge 38 in the form of a flexible metallic plate is attached at its outer end to the cross-piece 19 of the carriage-guide and extends inwardly under the carriage with its free end between the sections of the pusher 27 and .in line therewith when the latter is at the end of its inward or feeding stroke. The free end of the gauge bears on the strip 8 and rides over its shoulders as the latter are successivel1 moved under itv to position adjacent the shear, and snaps down behind each shoulder when the iatter is so positioned to act as a stop to prevent recession of the strip, as for example by the action of the shear upon it and by vibration of the machine. t is so mounted and positioned that it presses down to hold the strip 8 from ending or tilting upwardly when the reciprocating knife 1 acts upon it. Y

A retracting bumper 39 is located at the rear end of the machine in the path of 'travel of the strip 8 and at a sufcient distance from the shear to permit the free end of a plato to register' with it when the shoulder of a succeeding plate is in position adjacent the shear. The bumper is yieldingly mounted, and in the form herein shown it is carried on the downwardly projeeting arm 40 of an angular lever il which is pivn cted as at 42 on the bracket 34 and carries a counter-balance weight 43 at its free end. A chain 44 is connected at its ends to the outer end of the lever Ll1 and an arm Li5 projecting from the head 3 to adjust the position of the bumper, as by adjusting the screw-eye the position of the bumper toward and away from the shear can be adjusted. rIhe bumper is not nec-l essary when the strip rests on a fiat or plain table such as shown as the frictionai resistance between them will prevent the strip from moving beyond the stroke of the pusher 2??, which itself properly positions the strip so that its cuts are at uniform distance from its shoulders; butthe bumper is used when the strip rests on a table, such as a roller-table, which` affords insufii ient frictional resistance to prevent its movement by momentum beyond the desired position, and in such cases the bumper opposes such movement and retracts the strip to proper shearing position against the stop-gauge 38. The position of the bumper can be adjusted to correspond with the adjustment of the stop 33 to izo-operate with shoulders differently spaced from the shoulder-ends of the plates as hereinafter described.

1n the operation of the machine, the shaft 4 is rotated and a 8 is positioned on the tabie 7 with its leading shoulder in the range of travel of the pusher 27, on the outer movement of the carriage 22 the pusher rides over the shoulder. and drops behind it, and on the inward movement of the carriage toward the knives the pusher engages the vertical face of the shoulder and feeds the strip forward to bring the shouider to the position shown in Fig. 2, where it is engaged by the gauge 38 and the strip is trimmed by the knives cutting oii" its scrap end. The parts are co-ordinated so that after the trimming out is made as shown in Fig. 2, the pusher reciprocates outwardly yand inwardly between CII su'ccessive strokes ofthe knife l'and lsuccessively weight and resistance 'caused byfchanges in itsI length as itis shortened by plate-sections Vbeing' successively sheared'from its leading end. The cuts of each strip are made at uniform distance from its shoulders', so that practically the plates produced from the same strip are cf uniform length and their shoulders are located at uni'- form distance from their ends; The severed plates drop upon a conveyor (not shown)r by which theyare carried to a spike-hole punching machine so that they can be punched while hot.

While the spacing of the shoulders from the" shoulder-ends of tie-plates is substantially uniform on nished plates of the same length, it is customary in the construction and use of tieplates to 'vary the distance of the shoulders from the shoulder-ends of the plates in accordance with different lengths of plates, which in turn vary according to the size oftherails with which they are to be used; the shoulders on relatively long plates are farther from the shoulderv ends than on shorter plates. One of the advantageous features of Amy invention relates to coeordination of the strip feeding and cutting operations so that different strips having differently spaced shoulders may be cut on the same machine into plates of appropriate lengths for various sizesk of rails. To accomplish this purpose the'throw or ra-ngeof movement of the strip-pusher is adjusted and'fixed by devices which co-ordinate it with the different shoulder-spacings on strips for different lengths of plates. rilhis may be done by adjusting the arms 29 as described, or the'cran1 V pin 36 may be mounted for radial adjustment on itsvv operating disk 3'? and locked in different positions thereon by suitable means which regulate the extent of throw of the rocker-frame and con-4 seduently the travel of the carriage; by setting the crank-pin toward or away from the axis of the shaft 4 the throw of the rocker-arms may be varied to lengthen or shorten the stroke'or travel of the strip-pusher. In the practical embodiment here shown, the disk 37 is provided with an open-- end undercut radial slot 47, a spacer-block 48 of corresponding cross-sectional contour and of appropriate length in relation to the length of' the plates is seated in the slot, and the crank-pin 36 is provided with a base i9 which also is of corresponding cross-sectional contour to seat in the slot against the outer end of the block, and these parts are held in the slot by a tap-bolt 50 which is adjustably carried in" line with the slot by threaded engagement with a cap 5l removably bolted as at 52 to thefdisk, the tap-bolt being locked in position against the base 49 bya setnut 53. It is obvious that the spacing blocks Li8 may be provided with integral crank-pins 36 if desired. The blocks iii-are made of different shoulder-spacings on strips for diif'erent lengths scribed; In`l` rollingy tie--plates` the recurrent pattern of each finishing pass corresponds with the desired length of the plates and so normally pro-r duces shoulders at uniform intervals along. a

strip, and when this strip is presented to the. ma.-

chine having the operative stroke ofitsv pusher adjusted for these intervals the strip, will be cut into plates of uniform length and having their shoulders* uniformly spaced from their shoulder-A ends. Also; iijshoulder-spacings vary slightly on the same strip or on different strips coming from the same roll-pass or from differentsimilar passes, as frequently occurs from inequalities in the roll-- ing process, vthe pusher will move the successive; shoulders to the same position relative to` the. shear as itsrearward travel or stroke is longer. than. the normal spacing between the shoulders as shown for example in Fig. `2 and compensates for such variations; the pusher'positions all shoulders on strips. of the same pattern at substantially the same distance from the shear regard.- less. of suchv variations in their spacing on the' strips. Also; as the feed-stroke of. the pusher isl adjustable it can be set to similarly act on. differ-v ent strips having differently spaced sl'iouldersA to be cut into plates or sections of relatively short or long lengthsv with their shoulders spaced re.- spectively nearer. to or farther from their shoul der-ends. The gauge 38. is adjusted by setting theA crosspiece 19 toward or. away from the. shear so that it zio-operates with shouldersspaced nearer orl farther from the shoulder-ends Vof the plates;

ccording to the dierentlengths of the latter.

By my invention any strip of suchcross-shoul.- dered plates is automatically moved through the machine step-by-step, and positioned at the end of each intermittent feeding movement with a projection at proper distancefrom the knives'lto, ensure the cuts being made 'at uniform distance rom the projections, Allthe feeding and positioning operations are performed bythe machine, so that the strips can4 be, sheared as they come.v at red heat from the rolls, and hence the severed plates rcan also be punched while hot. f This not; only increases the; output,Y as the' timeconsumed in positoning the vplates by hand', is saved,Y but; it extendsv the lifeof boththe: shearing and punching machines as hot shearing and punching, reduce thel strains and wear of Ythe .machines.. Also, the machine has increasedcapacity and awider range. of; production asY it. automatically feeds. and positions strips or" plates havingtheir shoulders atdiferent distances; from their ends.` The cross-shoulders on .tie-plates are of diiTerent designs and contour but. alwaysl have a wall forthe rails to abut-against, and; in using my invention the strip-pusher and stop may be; suitably v constructed and arranged to cci-operate as described with any such shoulders. Other-changes in form and arrangement of v.various parts. may

be made without departing Afrom the scope ofi nation of a shear, anda strip-feeder comprising.

a carriage reciprocating towardY and away from the shear above the strip being .operated on; and'y a'gravity-latch pivotedon the carriage andconstructed to ride over a projection. of the strip,

when the carriage moves away vfrom theshear and engage said projection as it moves towardY the shear and move the strip step-by-step througnthe shear and position theV successive projections in the same spacedv relation to. the A shear. *A

2. In a machine for shearing metal strips having a series of recurrent projections, the combination of a shear, a stop arranged adjacent to the shear and constructed to successively engage the rear faces of the projections of the strip being operated on and automatically movable from and into the path of movement of the projections, and a reciprocating strip-pusher constructed to successively engage thev projections and move them into position to engage the stop.

3. In a machine for shearing a metal strip having aseries of recurrent projections, the combination of a shear, astrip-pusher reciprocating toward and away from the shear, and a stop located in xed relation to the shear, the pusher and stop being constructed to ride the projections on the strip being operated on and successively'engage said projections.

4. In a machine for shearing a metal strip having a series of recurrent projections, the combination of a shear, a strip-pusher reciprocating toward and away from the shear, a stoplocated in lXed relation to the shear, the pusher and stop being constructed to idle over the projections on the strip being operated on and successively engage said projections, and a bumper in the path of travel of the strip beyond the shear.

5. In a machine for shearing metal strips having a series of recurrent projections, the com'- bination of a shear, a strip-pusher reciprocating toward and away from the shear and constructed to idle overone of the successive projections of the strip being operated on when it moves away from the shear and engage such projection as it moves toward the shear, a yielding stop located in xed relation to the shear and arranged to permit the passage of the projections of the strip and engage the projections after their passage under the-stop, and a yieldingly mounted bumper in the path of travel of the strip beyond the shear.

6. In a machine for shearing metal strips having a series of recurrent projections, the conibination oi a shear, a strip-pusher reciprocating toward and away from the shear and constructed to ride upon the strip being operated on and pass a projection thereon when it moves away from the shear and engage such projection as it moves toward the shear and feed the strip step-by-step through the shear, and adjustable operating rods to vary the travel of the pusher yand position diierently spaced projections on different strips at different distances from the shear for cutting relatively short and long strip-sections with their shoulders spaced relatively-nearer to or farther from their shoulder-ends.

7. In a machine for shearing metal strips having a series of recurrent projections, the combination of a shear having a reciprocating knife, a

rotating shaft to operate the knife, a strip-pusher reciprocating toward and away from the shear and constructed to move the strip being operated on step-by-step into the path of the shear, a rocker-frame to operate the pusher, a disk on the shaft having a radial seat for spacing-blocks oi 10. In a machine for shearing Vmetal strips having recurrent projections, the combination of a reciprocating knife, guides at each side of the knife, a strip-pusher reciprocating in the guides to successively engage the projections and move the strip being operated on step-by-step into the path of the knife, and a pressure stop adjacent the knife and constructed to permit the passage of the strip-projections and to bear on the strip and against the projections when the latter are in positionin relation to the knife,

11. In a machine for shearing metal strips having a series of recurrent projections,` the combination of a shear, a frame having a guideway ad- .Y

jacent the shear and above the strip being operated on, a carriage reciprocating in said guideway toward and away from the'shear, a strippusher pivoted on the carriage to successively engage said projections, a resilient bumper in the path oi the strip beyond the shear, and a stripgauge consisting of -a iieXible metallic plate attached at its outer end to the frame and having its free end bearing against the projections when the latter are in position adjacent the shear.

l2. In a machine for shearing metal strips having a series or" recurrent projections, the combination of a shear, a guideway adjacent the shear, a reciprocating carriage traveling in said way and having a cross-piece, a strip-pusher pivoted on said carriage and extending below said crosspiece to successively engage said projections, a resilient bumper in the path of the strip beyond the shear, and a strip-gauge mounted on said way and extending under said carriage and terminating at substantially the line of the forward movement of said strip-pusher.

r13. In a machine for shearing metal strips having a series of recurrent projections, Ythe combination of a shear, a guideway adjacent the shear, a reciprocating carriage traveling in said way, operating means for said carriage including adjustable rods pivoted thereto, a strip-pusher pivoted on the'carriage to successively engage said projections, a resilient bumper in the path of the strip beyond the shear, and a strip-gauge adjustably mounted on said way and extending under the carriage with its free end, at substantially the line of the forward movement of said strippusher. l

14. In a machine for shearing metal strips having a series of recurrent cross-shoulders, the combination of a shear, a reciprocating strip-pusher constructed to successively engage said shoulders, a'strip-gauge constructed to successively engage said shoulders when they are in position in relation to the shear, a pivotally mounted bumper beyond the shear in the path of the leading end of the strip being sheared, and means to stress the bumper against said leading end.

l5. In a machine for shearing a rolled metal strip having cross-shoulders spaced along its length into railway tie-plates each having a railseat and a cross-shouldernear the eld-end of carriage moves away from the shear'and to unyieldngly engage the shoulder When the carriage moves toward the shear and exert uniform stripmoving force on al1 the shoulders of the strip.

ADAM J. HERMANSDORFER. 

